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Beau can’t exactly say she isn’t proud of herself for getting where she is right now.
She always knew she had the skills, the determination and the stubbornness to be a great trainer, but even while entering the League she’d had her reservations.
Despite her upbringing, and despite having left home for her journey way later than a lot of her kids of her age group, Beau has always known being a Pokemon Trainer was something that wasn’t just in her blood.
She’d wanted it more than anything in the world, and not even the horrifying treatment her father had always given her could have ever dampened her enthusiasm.
No support from the head of a family so influential like the Lionett’s had meant that Beau had not gotten her chance to get a regular Starter like all the other kids in Kamordah, and it had only been after running away from home at sixteen and stumbling across her first gym in Rexxentrum, that she had gotten her first Pokemon.
The head of the Cobalt Soul Gym, Dairon, had taken her under their protective wing, teaching her everything Beauregard had wanted to know, and finally given her the first of her many Pokemon… In the form of an Egg.
Beau had spent weeks with her Egg, cradling it with her at night, telling it all the stories she knew, keeping it warm at all times. She had loved the Egg and its Pokemon even before knowing what kind of creature it would become.
And when it had finally hatched, and a minuscule Machop had come rolling out, Beau had fallen in love with her Pokemon at first sight.
Together with Machop, Beau had begun her training, spending a few months with Dairon to learn everything she could from her mentor, and finally receiving a second Egg to bring with her on her journey.
That Egg had then hatched into an Eevee on the road, and Beau, Machop and Eevee had started their adventure together.
Two years have now gone from that fateful day, and Beau is no longer alone.
Her Pokemon team has grown, and so has her human team.
Jester, possibly the weirdest person Beau has ever met, specializes in Fairy Pokemon, with the only exception of a massive Typhlosion that walks around with her at all times. Named Artie, he is one of the very few Pokemon Beau has never had a good relationship with.
Fjord, Jester’s partner, is a former sailor who now specializes in raising Water Pokemon. From him, Beau has learned how to train her Magikarp into evolving in the most gracious, elegant Gyarados Beau has ever seen.
Gyarados is another one of her pride and joy, and Beau is deeply grateful to Fjord for the help given.
Caleb, another member of the group, is fond of Fire Pokemon. His Flareon is always walking alongside them whenever they are travelling, and Beau’s Espeon -evolved the day after Caleb’s- is like a sister to him.
Caleb’s partner, Essek, is a former Gym leader, who decided to leave the family owned business to travel with the group and see the world. His Pokemon, a team formed by former-Shadow type and Dark type, are some of the most interesting looking creatures Beau has ever seen.
Caduceus, whose Pokemon are as lethal as they are gentle, is another of Beau’s friends, a tall, kind man with a love for Psychic and Bug type.
And finally Veth, Beau’s personal pain in the ass, who has an obsession for explosives and Poison Pokemon, and who joins once in a while to follow the group on their travels.
Beau’s friends are a ragtag team of misfits, all with diverse and not always happy life stories, and Beau is proud to have entered the Wildemount League with them.
As it is, however, Beau has gotten through the Conference with little to no effort, passing through the single-elimination tournament without missing a step, whereas the rest of her team has struggled through it instead.
Caduceus, Veth and Jester got eliminated during the qualifying rounds, and yet Beau has never seen anyone more disinterested by a loss than those three.
Veth has fought in many Leagues and seems to be completely unaffected by the loss, since she knows she can try out next year.
Jester is incredibly optimistic, and she simply looks content to support her friends from the sidelines instead.
Caduceus… Well, Caduceus is always happy, no matter what.
Fjord, Caleb, Essek and Beau only have a day to rest before the preliminary rounds, and when they take place it’s only Beau and Essek that pass on to the next level.
The final rounds end up being just slightly more challenging than Beau would’ve thought, but she breezes through them without losing a single Pokemon to unconsciousness, and by the end of the day she is crowned winner of the Conference.
Her friends take her out to celebrate, and Beau brings all her Pokemon with her as well, releasing Lucario, Timburr and Hitmonchan out of their Poke Balls to have dinner with her, Machoke and Espeon.
She frees Gyarados in the pools outside the Nicodranas League Center, and he roars in appreciation before diving into the ocean.
The restaurant, a beautiful, elegant place owned by Jester’s mother, has amazing food and incredible music, and Beau can’t get enough of it.
It’s halfway through the dinner that Jester elbows her in the ribs.
“Look.” she whispers, pointing at the entrance doors. “The Elite Four and the Champion.”
Beau grimaces in her food, trying her best not to look up, nor to get noticed.
It’s pointless, really.
Her group is the biggest, noisiest, most diverse assemblement of people and Pokemon in any town they pass, and it’s not an exception for this one.
Four shadows appear over her food, and Beau presses her lips together and takes a deep inhale before looking up.
“The Conference Champion.” the blue haired man in the front of the group says, with nothing but contempt dripping from his tone. Beau recognizes him as Lorenzo, the brute Elite that she will have to fight against in a week's time. “Beauregard Lionett. Who would have thought, uh, Thoreau?”
The shorter, darker skinned man on his left grunts in disapproval.
“Your own daughter, coming to claim the victory.” a third man interjects, amused beyond belief. Beau doesn’t have to question this one’s identity either. His yellow eyes give it away for him, and Obann sneers at her like she is some sort of bug under his shoe.
Thoreau scoffs.
“That is no daughter of mine. Disrespectful and insolent. I have a son, now. He will be better, you’ll see.”
Beau stands, so quickly and abruptly that her chair falls behind her.
Her fists are clenched, and her Pokemon are immediately next to her, vibrating in rage just like she is.
“Chooo…” Machoke cries out, shrill and threatening. He is big. Bigger than other Pokemon of his kind, and that is just one of the many reasons why he is Beau’s favorite.
“Gentlemen, please.” a fourth man interjects, with a saccharine smile on his perfectly sculpted features.
He is tall, taller than the others, and his long, purple hair falls in beautiful locks over his shoulders.
“No point in making a scene in this fine restaurant.” Lucien says, successfully calling back the other Three.
Beau’s friends who, Beau only now notices, are all standing and ready to fight, don’t relax.
“Obann.” a fifth, softer voice murmurs, cutting through the tension.
Everyone turns their head to acknowledge the presence of a tall, incredibly built, incredibly stunning young woman.
Beau blinks. That is… It can’t be…
“Yasha.” Obann responds, sounding annoyed at having been called out. “What do you want?”
The Champion.
Yasha Nydoorin.
Beau has only ever heard stories about her.
Champion of the League for five years in a row, as mysterious as she is powerful, Yasha Nydoorin is a sight to behold.
She ducks her head in contrition, and when she looks up again her eyes meet Beau’s.
It’s quick, and it’s profound.
Beau has never seen so much sadness in a person’s eyes, and the breath is knocked out of her lungs.
“Our table is ready.” Yasha murmurs. “Shall we go?”
The Elite Four leave without a word, only glaring in Beau’s direction, until only Yasha is left in front of the group.
She nods at all of them, Pokemon included, before fixing her eyes on Beau.
“I guess I will be seeing you soon.” she comments, and her voice doesn’t betray any emotion.
“You can bet on it.” Beau mutters in response. Beautiful or not, gentle spirited or not, Yasha is her enemy .
Yasha smiles the smallest of smiles, and there’s nothing happy about it.
“I certainly hope so.” she says, before turning around and following the Elite Four.
On her back, a beautifully colored Doublade is perched.
Yasha reaches a hand behind her and gives it a scratch, making it coo.
Beau spends the rest of the week in training.
The thought of Yasha haunts her sleepless nights, but the days are focused on working with her Pokemon to form strategies and roaming the town to stock up on the best Healing Potions, Medicines, Berries and Revives.
She works on researching the Elite Four and their Pokemon types, studying the best course of action and organizing her Pokemon accordingly.
Finally, on the night before the battle, she sits with her team of six on the beach for a quiet dinner. Gyarados curls up in the water and comes to shore whenever Beau calls him, whereas Lucario, Hitmonchan, Timburr and Machoke sit in the sand around her. Espeon curls up between her crossed legs, her eyes blinking contemplatively at the moon.
“We’ve got this, guys.” Beau tells them, distributing her last batch of Rare Candies for them to enjoy. A last boost to their already incredible power.
Her Pokemon grunts and coo in agreement.
“We’ve trained for years for this.” she continues. Her voice shakes.
Machoke places a hand on her shoulder, and she smiles at him.
One after the other, all of her Pokemon collect around her, with a hand on her knee or a nose pressed against her bare foot.
“We’ve got this.” she repeats.
She is not willing to let herself be distracted by a pair of pretty eyes.
Yasha Nydoorin is the Wildemount League Champion.
As such, Beau’s goal is only one.
To beat her, and to take her title away from her.
The day of the battle, Beau wakes up early. Her Pokemon obediently re-enter their PokeBalls, and when she shows up at the Arena, the crowd is already screaming in anticipation.
Beau meets with her friends one last time before entering the League Center, and the group gathers around her with last minute encouragements, advices and, surprisingly, gifts.
“It is an Assault Vest.” Essek explains as Beau releases Hitmonchan from the Poke Ball. Caleb helps her put the vest on, admiring how perfectly it fits. “It will raise Hitmonchan’s defence by fifty percent.”
Beau recalls Hitmonchan, who is now proudly holding the item.
“This… I’ve held on to this one for a while, now.” Fjord explains, scratching the back of his head. “I wanted to give it to you for your birthday, but… Well. Here ya go.”
Fjord drops a red-blue-purple striped spheric stone into Beau’s palm.
“A Gyaradosite?!” Beau asks, incredulous.
She is the proud owner of a Key Stone, which would allow her to activate any Mega Evolution Stone in her possession, but she never once managed to find or purchase any of them.
“Where did you even find it?!” she asks, looking at Fjord in wonder. Fjord smiles and shrugs, not revealing his secret.
Beau makes a mental note to outfit Gyarados with it before entering the battle, and tucks the stone safely in her pocket.
“Thanks, guys.”
Her friends hug her tight, and Beau enters the League Center.
There, she undergoes a series of exams, and so do her Pokemon. As she waits for every Pokemon to be returned to her, she sits in silence in the changing room, trying to focus on breathing.
“How are you holding up?” a deep, accented voice asks.
Beau’s head snaps up.
Dairon grins at her, and Beau doesn’t exactly know how she goes from sitting on the bench to being tucked in Dairon’s embrace, but she doesn’t care.
She has not seen her mentor in years .
“When I heard a certain pain in the ass had become Conference Champion,” Dairon comments, flatly. “I had to come see for myself.”
Beau steps back, grinning from ear to ear, and Dairon can’t help themselves and smiles back at her.
“You did good, Beauregard.” they say. “I am truly proud of you.”
Beau rubs her sneaker against the floor, suddenly finding the tiles much more interesting than anything else in the room.
“I haven’t even encountered the Elite Four, yet.” she mutters, feeling warmth spreading around her neck. Dairon has never been prone to compliments, so this means a lot for the both of them.
“But you will, today.” Dairon replies. “It is no small feat. And I am certain you will go forward and defeat the Champion.”
Beau scoffs.
“You have too much faith in me.”
Dairon shrugs.
“Maybe.” they click their tongue, looking back from whence they came. “I have to go. I only managed to come and say hi because I know some of the attendants. Will you take a gift from me, Beauregard?”
Still surprised and overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of the person who has taught her the great majority of the things she knows, Beau can only nod.
Dairon nods back, satisfied by the response, then grabs a box from the inner pocket of their jacket.
“I heard you have a beautiful Lucario.” Dairon says with a proud half smile.
Dairon themselves has a Lucario, and their Pokemon had been one of the very first friends Beau had made when she’d started living at the Cobalt Soul Gym. One of the reasons why she’d been so keen in capturing her own Riolu.
When he had evolved into Lucario, Beau had felt incredibly proud of herself.
Dairon turns on their heels and leaves the room, and Beau is left with the small box.
She pulls at the ribbon, and the thing falls away. Then, she opens the lid.
Sitting on satin fabric, tucked nicely alongside a blue chain, sits a beautiful, dark blue Lucarionite.
Her Pokemon are returned to her, and Beau fusses over all of them for a good hour, making sure they’re all in good health and distributing a few last minute item.
She gives Gyarados the Gyaradosite that Fjord gifted, and passes the blue chain through the hoop in the Lucarionite before hanging the makeshift necklace around her Pokemon’s neck.
She distributes a few berries for her other Pokemon to hold on to, and buttons up the Assault Vest on her Hitmonchan.
“We’ve got this.” She says again, and then a whistle is blown in the distance, and Beau is called into the arena.
The first of the Elite Four is, ironically enough, Beauregard’s own father.
Despite the hatred and the discomfort she feels in being around him, let alone in front of him, Beau is confident.
She knows her father’s Pokemon more than any other competitor of the League.
She remembers being bullied by his Persian when she was ten, and remembers how he would follow her around the house with a judgemental glare.
She remembers Thoreau’s Impidimp, now evolved into a Morgrem, and how he would pop in her room in the middle of the night just to scare her.
She remembers his Mr. Mime, and the mocking he would make of her every time she tried to say something serious or make a request.
She remembers the Klefki that would float around the house, flaunting his keys in front of her nose in a constant reminder that her father trusted him more that he trusted Beauregard herself with his own secrets.
And she remembers his Thievul, the Pokemon that creeped her out the most when she was a kid, for how similar he was to her dad in everything but species.
Had Thoreau Lionett been a Pokemon, it would have been that Thievul.
The only addition to her father’s team is an elegant Sylveon, but it’s no matter.
Her father’s Fairy Pokemon have no chance against her team, and Lucario and Timburr make quick work of her father’s roster.
Thoreau growls and screams in frustration, but Beau waves at the audience and ignores him completely.
The second one of the Elite Four is Lorenzo, the burly, evil looking dude who had approached her first during her dinner at the Lavish Chateau.
The fight against him is long and drawn out. He heavily relies on Fighting type Pokemon, which also form the great majority of Beau’s team, so her only chance is to send Espeon and Gyarados to do the dirty work.
Espeon makes a surprisingly easy victory against Lorenzo’s Primape by predicting every one of the opponent’s moves. Espeon’s resistance to Fighting damage makes her the perfect bullet against half of Lorenzo’s team, and before she knows it, Espeon has downed Lorenzo’s Bewear and Hitmontop before turning a tired glance towards Beauregard.
She calls her back, giving the ground to Gyarados.
Mariyama puts up a hell of a fight before giving in to Gyarados’ Hydro Pump, and Gyarados sees himself fighting head to head with Lorenzo’s Onix.
That is one of the hardest fights Beau has to witness, as Gyarados’ resistance to Ground damage is counteracted by his vulnerability to Rock damage.
Gyarados wins the bout because of sheer force and because he manages to pin down Onix with his mauls until the Onix gives up, but that also puts Gyarados out of combat for the rest of the fight.
Beau weighs her chances, before deciding to call out her second to last healthy Pokemon.
Hitmonchan enters the arena with a loud: “MONCHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!” that makes the crowd go wild.
Beau snickers at her Pokemon’s vanity, but she knows it isn’t for nothing.
Hitmonchan is an already powerful Pokemon, and his knowledge of elemental attacks is what eventually brings Beau’s team to victory, and on to the next leg of the competition.
They give Beau fifteen minutes to stretch and tend to her Pokemon, and Beau gives all of them their Healing Potions and Ethers to make sure they all have enough juice to keep fighting to the best of their abilities.
“How are you doing?” she asks worryily to each and every one of them.
Despite her ambition, despite her desire to win, nothing matters more to her than her Pokemon.
If she has to pull the plug on the competition in order to safekeep her Pokemon, she will do so without hesitation.
But her Pokemon cheer and pat her legs and shoulders, and Beau smiles. The worst is yet to come.
And the worst comes almost immediately.
Obann doesn’t pull any punch, and his Dark type Pokemon are everything Beau expected and everything she feared.
His Pokemon aren’t just powerful, they are also owned by a tyrant who would milk every single ounce of life force out of them rather than lose.
Luckily for her, Beau has what she needs to effectively counteract half of his team.
She sends Gyarados against his Honchcrow and Chandelure, winning over the opponents’ vulnerability to Water type.
She then makes quick work of Absol and his vulnerability against Fighting damage by sending Lucario into the field.
Lucario manages to significantly damage Obann’s Mismagius before she has to call him back. Espeon finishes him, and she then absolutely annihilates Spiritomb.
“You have no idea what expects you, child.” Obann screams from the other side of the arena, throwing his last Poke Ball.
A massive, Mega Gengar enters the fray, and Espeon only has so much power left in her before the Mega Gengar punches her unconscious.
Despite her young age, Beau is deeply proud of her Espeon, and it worries her how violently she hits the ground when the opponent damages her.
“Espeon, come back!” she yells, recalling her in her Poke Ball.
She grits her teeth, hate building in her stomach for this Obann guy, and she makes an instantaneous decision.
“Machoke.” she whispers into her Pokeball. “I choose you.”
Machoke spends a grand total of fourteen seconds into the arena before grabbing the Mega Gengar and hurling it all the way across the arena and straight against a cement wall.
Beau retreats inside her changing room to tend to her Pokemon, fussing over Espeon even after she opens her eyes.
“Please.” she begs her when Espeon refuses to eat one of the berries.
Espeon knows it’s not the time to waste those berries, as they have already all agreed to wait until the battle with the Champion.
Her Pokemon tranquilize her, and Espeon nudges her palm with her nose and coos.
“I’m just worried for you.” Beau tells her, and Espeon purrs.
“You should be.” a deep, menacing voice interjects.
Beau looks up to find Obann staring back at her, fury dancing in the fire of his eyes.
“You might get to the Champion, child.” he continues. “But you will never defeat her. She is mine . My treasure. My champion. My love . You won’t win against her.”
Beau feels nausea clenching at her insides.
There is a sick tone in his words, and Beau hates every single one of them.
She briefly thinks whether or not Yasha, who had looked so sad and defeated back at the Lavish Chateau, truly is what he claims her to be.
“Be gone.” Beau growls, and Obann laughs, walking away.
Her Pokemon look somber, and Beau has to shake herself free of those feelings.
She still has one more Elite to defeat.
The last of the Elite Four is the purple haired guy named Lucien.
Beau knows his team is made mainly by Psychic Pokemon, which is why her Espeon had refused the berry.
They’d all known she was going to be useless against him anyway.
So Beau semi-officially walks into the arena with five Pokemon instead of six.
The announcer presents her name and Lucien’s name, and then they draw their Pokemon.
Lucien sends in a Claydol, a rounded, creepy looking pokemon with red eyes all over the upper part of its body.
Beau grimaces, throwing her Gyarados in the mix.
Lucien fights valiantly, without ever flinching nor tensing, not even when it becomes clear that Claydol is no match for a Gyarados as powerful as Beau’s.
Sableye, Lucien’s second choice, is also brought to its knees by Gyarados, albeit not without inflicting a considerable amount of damage.
Once she calls her Water Pokemon back, Beau stands with four Pokemon left, the same as Lucien.
He throws his PokeBall first, calling for a Xatu, another creepy looking Psychic based Pokemon, so Beau resolves to send in her Hitmonchan.
With Pokemon such as these, her only hope is to counteract as many as possible with her Hitmonchan elemental force. He doesn’t disappoint.
His Thunder punch knocks Xatu out nearly immediately, and when Lucien calls in his Slowbro, they both fight until they dropp unconscious, with Beau’s Hitmonchan managing to resist as much as he does only because of the protection given by his Assault Vest.
Beau is now leading with three Pokemon against two, but she knows it’s not going to be easy.
It becomes even more evident when Lucien smirks, opening his PokeBall to release a massive, Mega Evolved Gardevoir.
Beau growls in frustration, throwing her PokeBall to let out Lucario.
Lucario looks taken aback by the Mega Evolution, and he throws a glance in Beau’s direction.
Beau knows he is wondering whether or not he is supposed to evolve as well, but she shakes her head.
“You can do it, Lucario.” she exclaims. “I believe in you.”
Lucario howls, positioning himself for the battle ahead, and Beau sincerely hopes she has made the right choice.
She only worries when Gardevoir attacks, inflicting a significant amount of Psychic damage to her poor Lucario, but when it comes the time to counter the hit, Lucario’s Metal Claw attack flips the tides of the battle.
His speed, joined with his experience and his advantage with the fact that Gardevoir is vulnerable to Steel based attacks, eventually brings the opponent to the ground.
As the Mega Evolution fades, Gardevoir is called back in her Poke Ball.
Lucien doesn’t look angry, or sad.
He looks incredibly annoyed, and Beau isn’t sure whether that is a good or a bad thing.
Lucien’s last Pokemon is a Mega Alakazam, and Beau nearly cries.
She is tired, and she is sure her Pokemon are as well, and they are yet to fight the Champion. For the first time, Beau understands why it’s so complicated to defeat the League Champion, and she wonders how powerful Yasha Nydoorin must have been to take the title for herself, all those years ago.
Lucario falls under the first look from Alakazam’s Psychic powers, and Beau’s Timburr puts up a hell of a fight, but he also falls to his knees.
Mega Alakazam studies Beau with indifference, floating in the air like a omnipotent God.
Lucien smiles for the first time from his spot across the arena, and Beau grunts.
She clicks the last of her PokeBalls and presses her lips against the cold metal of the ball.
“Machoke.” she whispers. “Let’s do this. You and I. Let’s finish this.”
And she throws the ball.
The fight that follows is one that Beau will remember for the rest of her life.
Machoke is not a Ghost, Bug nor Dark Pokemon, which are all the type that Alakazam is vulnerable to, but it matters little.
It becomes very clear that Alakazam’s powers come from his confidence in damaging the enemy enough to prevent them from attacking effectively.
But Machoke was forged in sweat and hard work, just like Beau. They both come from the road, from sleeping under the stars and the rain, and he has a bond with Beauregard that many Pokemon trainers can only envy.
A bond that Alakazam and Lucien clearly lack.
A bond that, when everything gets down to a few milliseconds, allows Beau to simply scream his name for Machoke to duck underneath one of Alakazam’s swipes, and use Low Kick to hit the opponent square in the chest.
Mega Alakazam flinches, allowing Machoke to take aim with his Focus Punch, knocking the remaining life force out of the Psychic Pokemon.
The arena drops into a stunned silence as Machoke straightens himself back up.
It’s only when Beau screams in victory and runs inside the arena to hug her beloved Pokemon, that the audience explodes.
Beau nearly cries when her Pokemon collect around her in the changing room. She cradles each and everyone of them in her arms, feeding them Potions, Revives and Berries, hoping to bring them back to their feet.
“This is brutal.” she sighs once all of them are back with her. “It kills me that I can’t bring you to a healer, right now.”
“Chooooo.” Machoke exclaims, patting his large hand on her shoulder. He seems to understand her pain better than the others.
To him, they’re all like younger siblings, and he feels as protective as she does.
Beau hums, and tries to feed the Berry to her Espeon once again.
This time, Espeon takes it, happily munching on it now that she is sure no one needs it more.
“We have to go back to the Arena.” Beau murmurs, with just a bit of fear and anxiety bubbling up in her chest.
Her Pokemon exchange a worried glance, but then they dutifully re-enter their Poke Balls, ready for the fight of a lifetime.
The Arena looks different when Beau steps back into it.
It’s been repaired, hiding all the spots where the previous Pokemon have fought, and the lights have been dimmed, dropping the massive stadium in a creepy, anxiety inducing darkness.
Beau can still see the fighting ring, but the audience is not visible anymore, and there is a fast paced, unsettling music accompanying her every movement.
“Gods, I hate this.” she mutters, adrenaline, excitement and fear running through her veins.
She steps onto her platform, her fingers skimming over her Pokeballs on her belt in an unconscious movement.
The announcer yells out her name, and Beau flinches.
“And now, for the moment we’ve all been waiting for…” the booming voice continues. “The League Champion. The title holder for the past five years. The one and only… Yasha Ny-doo-riiiiin!”
The crowd, albeit invisible, is certainly not being silenced, and a roar of appreciation and admiration explodes all around Beau.
The door on the other side of the arena opens outward, and Yasha steps out.
She is wearing a classic Pokemon Trainer outfit, entirely in black with some accents of white, a stark contrast from Beau’s blue and silver attire.
Yasha walks forward, deaf to the audience, her expression neutral and emotionless.
She steps onto her own platform, and nothing about her stance looks threatening to Beau.
She simply looks like someone who would rather be anywhere else but there .
Beau doesn’t get it.
This is the dream of a lifetime, and to have the fame and the power that Yasha seems to hold would be anyone’s dream.
It certainly is hers.
The announcer finishes explaining the rules, so Beau tunes him out. She knows Yasha has a pretty varied roster, and she’s almost certain the Doublade she’s seen at the Lavish Chateau is part of it.
“Ready… BEGIN !”
Yasha grabs a Pokeball from her own belt and throws it in the air, and the Final Battle commences.
Houndoom is Yasha’s first choice, against Beau’s Timburr.
Yasha’s Pokemon is a big, muscled hound with long and curved horns and fiery fire in his eyes. His fur is black like most of the other Houndooms Beau has encountered, but it almost looks dark blue when the rays of the few lamps hit him.
He is, quite possibly, the biggest of his kind that Beau has ever seen.
In comparison, her own Timburr looks quite small, and Beau knows she’ll have to rely on the elemental force of Timburr’s attacks to counteract Houndooms fire as well as Timburr’s fighting abilities to match the hound’s dexterity and pace.
Houndoom snarls at Timburr, pouncing on him from across the Arena and sinking his teeth in the flesh of Timburr’s arm.
Timburr screeches in pain, whirling around and ducking to use his log as leverage to then swipe at Houndoom’s legs with a Low Kick.
Houndoom goes flying, and Yasha’s voice calls: “Shield, Houndoom!” right before Timburr can manage to land his incredibly effective Brick Break assault with his log. A wave of energy passes between the two Pokemon, and Timburr’s slams his log against the shield Houndoom’s created right before it comes in contact with his skull.
“Houndoom, Swipe him!” Yasha continues, and neither Beau nor Timburr see the movement coming.
Houndoom ducks and uses his long horns to imitate the swiping move by hitting Timburr’s legs and sending him flying through the air.
“Same moves, uh?” Beau mutters to herself, before screaming: “Shield, Timburr!” like Yasha did just a moment ago.
Timburr rolls up in a fetal position, hugging his log, creating a successful shield against Houndoom’s Crunch attack.
Both Pokemon tumble away from one another, breathing heavily.
“Snarl!” Yasha calls, just as Beau screams: “Timburr, Low Kick again!”
The Pokemon lounge at one another, and while Houndoom’s teeth sink once more into Timburr’s leg, Timburr’s kick manages to hit the opponent square in his chest.
Houndoom rolls away, and it’s right then that Beau sees the sparkles of a fire attack shining through his long, sharp teeth.
“Buddy, get ready!” she tells Timburr, who is still trying to get up from his prone position. “Ice Punch it when it comes!”
Timburr nods, exhaustion making his whole body shake. Beau knows she has to finish this, and she has to finish it quickly.
“Houndoom, now!” Yasha exclaims from the other side of the arena, and if Beau is not mistaken, she also looks worried by the state of her Pokemon.
Houndoom opens his jaw, releasing a torrent of infernal fire, right over where Timburr is preparing.
Timburr starts running, determination in his eyes, and uses his log to propel himself upwards, gaining momentum before slamming his Ice Punch right against the flame throw, successfully negating its damage.
“NOW, TIMBURR!” Beau screams, seeing an opening.
Timburr sees the same opportunity as he whirls his log around while still in the air, before bringing his makeshift weapon forward and downward, using his Brick Break move to slam the wood trunk right between Houndoom’s horns.
The Pokemon falls unconscious, and Timburr lands on his two feet before falling to his knees.
Even from distance, Beau can see his shoulders lifting and raising as he heavily breathes in and out.
She knows her Pokemon, and she knows exhaustion. She makes the instantaneous decision to call him back for good, and both Pokemon re-enter their Pokeballs amongst the screams of the crowd.
Their second match sees Beau’s Gyarados against Yasha’s beautiful, incredibly big, albino Arcanine.
Beau has seen many Arcanines in her travels, but never an albino one.
“Where is this girl finding all these Pokemon?” Beau asks herself, stunned as she watches Arcanine pacing his side of the arena with measured movements.
It’s a risky move, to send a Fire Type like Arcanine against a Water Type like Gyarados, but Gyarados has sustained a considerable amount of damage during the fight against the Elite Four, and this Arcanine looks not only rested, but also incredibly powerful.
Just like Houndoom before him, Yasha’s Arcanine begins the fight by pouncing on Gyarados and snarling, reducing the effectiveness of Gyarados’ special attacks, but the dragon Pokemon shakes the dog off of himself with a powerful roar and a cascade of water droplets.
Arcanine growls at that, and Gyarados keeps him at distance with a few swipes of his tail.
But Yasha and Arcanine are patient, and Gyarados is tired, so when Arcanine finds an opening, he easily takes it.
Arcanine pounces on Gyarados with his Wild Charge, sinking his teeth deep between Gyarados’ scales.
Gyarados releases a blood curdling scream, and Beau nearly runs off her platform, screaming in pain at the sight of her own Pokemon getting mauled.
“Gyarados, no!”
Beau touches the Key Stone on her neck, and it immediately activates.
The Arena is filled with a blinding blue light, and Arcanine is sent flying and rolling onto the sand by the wave of energy that releases from Gyarados.
When the light subdues, the audience gasps, and Beau sees Yasha’s lips tilting into a half smile from across the ring.
Mega Gyarados, his health and life force temporarily restored by the power given to him by the Gyaradosite he was carrying, lunges at Arcanine with his mouth wide open, shooting a powerful Water wave in his direction.
Arcanine tries his best to resist it, but it’s not long before both Pokemon collapse on the ground, one too damaged by the elemental effects on his body, the other heaving from exhaustion.
The power given by the Gyaradosite dwindles, and Beau opens her Pokeball to call him back to her.
“Good job, buddy.” she whispers to the now safe Pokemon.
On the other side of the ring, she watches as Yasha presses a small kiss on Arcanine’s Pokeball before re-attaching it to her belt.
The third and fourth fight end pretty much the same way.
Yasha sends in a beautiful, incredibly powerful Alolan Vulpix against Beau’s Lucario, and despite Lucario’s best efforts, Vulpix manages to land an impossibly potent blow to Beau’s Pokemon before she even has the time to activate his Mega Evolution.
Vulpix, however, drops unconscious right after Lucario, ending yet another bout in a tie.
Afterwards, Beau’s Hitmonchan goes against Yasha’s Aerodactyl, and for a moment Beau thinks she is about to gain the upperhand.
Yasha calls Aerodactyl’s name once, and another wave of blinding light fills the Arena, giving way to the Mega Evolution that immediately attacks Beau’s Pokemon.
Thanks to Hitmonchan’s Assault Vest, the powerful blows dealt by the prehistoric Pokemon are less effective, and Hitmonchan manages to deal a massive amount of Thunder damage to the flying Pokemon, before Aerodactyl sends him unconscious.
As happened with Gyarados, Aerodactyl lands on the sand and falls prone, the Mega Evolution fading and taking his remaining energies away with it.
Worried about the state of her Espeon, Beau decides to send her most powerful Pokemon as a fifth choice instead, and she is almost half surprised to see a Doublade appear in front of Yasha.
That fight is one of the most brutal bouts Beau has ever put her Machoke through.
Doublade is quick and effective, and the damage inflicted by his iron attacks chops away at Machoke’s built.
Machoke holds his own, slamming his powerful fists against the double sword looking Pokemon, and the circle around one another in a vicious, ferocious fight.
Beau barely has to instruct Machoke to do anything, since they have been together for so long that they already know each other’s thoughts and strategies.
What surprises Beau is how Yasha seems to be doing the same with her Doublade, and she wonders how long her two opponents have been fighting side by side.
Beau worries and Yasha worries, and they both nearly step onto the arena when Machoke and Doublade come together with so much force that they send each other flying outside the limits of the ring.
Beau runs up to him then, kneeling next to him as she notices Yasha do the same on the other side of the Arena.
“Hey. Hey, buddy…” Beau whispers to her Pokemon.
Machoke smiles tiredly at her, still conscious but battered and hurt.
“You did so good.” Beau tells him, feeling her throat closing up. She feels the pain of her Pokemon, she feels their exhaustion, and this is costing all of them so much.
“Chooooo.” Machoke murmurs, breathing heavily and lifting his fist towards Beau.
Beau presses her own fist against it, smiling at him.
He goes peacefully back into his Pokeball, and Beau steps back onto her platform.
Yasha looks distressed, and even from that distance Beau can tell she is worried.
Whether it’s because she knows she’s close to being defeated or because of her Pokemon, Beau can’t tell.
She can’t tell a great deal of many things about Yasha, and she surprises herself by wanting to know more.
“Both Champions are now left with only one Pokemon each!” the announcer exclaims, causing the audience to cheer louder. “We know that Beauregard Lionett has her trusted Espeon to fight this last fight, but who will Yasha Nydoorin send on the field?”
Beau licks her lips, wondering the same thing.
She knows her Espeon is much more powerful than any other Espeon she’s encountered, especially because of her extended periods of time training with Caleb’s Flareon, Fjord’s Glaceon and Vaporeon, and Caduceus’ Leafeon.
But Espeon is also tired beyond belief, and there is not much she can withstand without being seriously damaged.
She calls Espeon out, and her Pokemon purrs and rubs herself against her ankles, soothing Beau’s worries.
Yasha holds her Pokeball before herself, pressing her forehead against it.
She murmurs something that Beau can’t hear, before throwing her Pokeball into the air.
The light blinds Beau for just a moment, and then a beautiful, minuscule Umbreon lands gracefully on the sand.
Espeon coos in confusion and curiosity, and Beau gapes.
The Umbreon blinks in their direction, the rings and the marking on her skin glowing faintly of a silvery-blue light.
“Incredible!” the announcer exclaims, inciting the crowd. “Espeon versus Umbreon! Day versus Night! What a beautiful final match awaits us, folks!”
Espeon coos again, and Beau nudges her forward.
Despite her dangerous moves, Espeon is a good natured Pokemon, and Beau knows it must be weird for her to be having to fight one of her own species.
Umbreon seems just as confused, as she looks up at Yasha from their side of the Arena. Yasha kneels next to her Pokemon, taking her small little face between her palms and murmuring yet another thing that Beau can’t make out.
And then it begins.
Espeon and Umbreon are tentative at first, studying the opponent’s move with cautious curiosity, and Beau has to resist the urge to bite her own nails during that first phase of the fight.
She tries to strategies in her head, but nothing that she can come up with seems to be effective enough to carry enough damage to the opponent.
Espeon is clearly older and more experienced than Yasha’s Umbreon, which makes Beau wonder as to why she’s brought her in the fight in the first place, but Beau’s Pokemon is also massively damaged from the previous competitions and tired beyond belief.
Those factors manage to balance out the fight, and it doesn’t help that Espeon and Umbreon are quite literally the two faces of the same coin.
Espeon gives her absolute best, digging into her Special Attacks to try and gain the upper hand, but Umbreon matches her every move.
“Espeon!” Beau finally screams, once she sees an opening. “Psychic attack, now!”
Yasha, on the other side, nearly steps into the arena as she commands: “Umbreon, Foul Play!”
Beau watches in horror, almost at slow motion, as Espeon and Umbreon carry their commands to completion, slamming against one another with a wave of dark and psychic energy that explodes outward in a strong wind.
“ESPEON!” Beau calls out, trying to find her Pokemon in the tornado of sand and dirt.
Once the dust settles, she sees her.
Espeon, exhausted and unconscious, lays on the ground with her eyes closed…
...Next to an equally unconscious Umbreon.
A shocked silence falls onto the Arena.
Beau blinks in the direction of her Pokemon, unsure as to what just happened, before she starts running towards the middle of the ring.
“T-This is unprecedented…” the announcer comments, sounding as stunned as the audience is. “Neither Trainer has any Pokemon left for this fight. This is… This is a tie…?”
Beau skids to a stop, falling on her knees to collect her Espeon in her arms, just as Yasha arrives to do the same.
“Are they okay?” Yasha asks, panic in her voice as she picks up her Pokemon.
Umbreon looks so incredibly small in Yasha’s big arms, and Beau can see that both Espeon and Umbreon seem to be breathing, albeit unnaturally slow.
“I-I think so.” Beau responds, finding herself worried not just for her Pokemon, both for Yasha’s as well.
They kneel in the sand for a long moment, completely deaf to the audience around them, and Beau pats her jacket and her belt to look for something -anything- that could aid her Pokemon.
But she ran out of Healing Potions before entering this fight, and Espeon can’t chew on a berry while unconscious.
Anxiety starts rising in her chest when Yasha removes the lid of a small bottle with her teeth and pours half of its content in Umbreon’s semi open mouth.
She holds her Pokemon’s head so that she can swallow, then extends the small bottle out to Beau.
“Quick.” she says, her voice nearly broken by worry.
Beau wants to ask her if she is sure, she wants to remind her that they are technically enemies, but the love for her Pokemon prevails.
She snatches the bottle from Yasha’s hand and pours the remaining potion down Espeon’s mouth.
“Incredible!” the announcer exclaims. “In an absolutely unprecedented situation, the judges have all agreed! The match is to be considered null.
The competitors will fight again in a week’s time, same Pokemon and same Arena. The Conference Champion will have to fight with one less Pokemon to simulate the disadvantage previously given by fighting the Elite Four, and the winner of that fight will be crowned League Champion!”
Beau is urged out of the Arena and into her changing room, and she only manages to stutter something about healing her Pokemon, making one of the attendants collect her Pokeballs.
Then she is alone.
She doesn’t know for how long, and she doesn’t even know what is going to happen now, and her mind goes to both her Pokemon and to Yasha.
She wonders what it must feel like, to hold the Champion title for five years in a row and then to have to battle twice to defend it on the same year.
Beau thinks that her position is fairly stressful, but Yasha is probably not in a better situation.
The door slams open after what feels like hours, and Dairon, followed by her entire group of friends, enters the changing room.
Beau hasn’t had the time nor the energy to shower, and she stares dumbfoundedly at her friends as they ask her questions and try to prompt any sort of response out of her.
“Miss Lavorre.” Dairon comments, finally, successfully shutting Jester up. “I think Beauregard, here, might need to breathe.”
Beau looks up at them, confusion and panic written all over her face.
“What’s going to happen, Dairon?” Beau finally asks, not knowing how to even begin to process the whole ordeal.
Dairon frowns, looking surprised and unsettled as well.
“I am not sure.” they admit. “I am a bit out of my depth. This is, as the judges have said, quite unprecedented. You will rematch the Champion in a week’s time, and you will do so with five Pokemon instead of six. The Champion will have her full team. But…”
Dairon hesitates, and everyone turns to look at them.
“But?” Fjord prods.
“I doubt you will be able to leave the League Center, Beauregard.” Dairon concludes, gravely.
Beau jumps to her feet.
“Wait, what?!” she snaps. “What do you mean?”
Dairon raises their hands, shaking their head.
“I remember a similar case from many years ago, and you should, too. During the final battle between a Champion and their challenger, the Arena was attacked by a thunder of wild Dragon Type Pokemon.”
Beau nods, confused.
“I remember. The team of trainers from Vox Machina battled and defeated the Pokemon.”
Dairon hums in agreement. The rest of the group listens, in rapt attention, as Dairon continues: “What is not usually told, since it’s not an important detail, is how the final League match had to be rescheduled, and the Champion and their challenger were forbidden to leave the League Center.”
“But why?!” Veth asks, grumpily.
“In order to maintain parity, I assume.” Caleb interjects. “There is no Pokemon Center inside the League, and no possibility to purchase new items, potions nor Evolving stones.”
Dairon nods.
“They want to make sure that the match remains as fair as possible, and no outside contact will soon be allowed. In fact…”
They raise a finger, prompting the whole group to fall into a curious silence.
Beau hears them nearly immediately, the sound of half a dozen footsteps running in the changing room’s direction.
“I doubt we will be able to stay for much longer. Say your goodbyes, for now.” Dairon concludes.
The group, albeit stunned and clearly upset, steps forward to collect Beau in their arms, hugging her and patting on her shoulders, whispering encouraging words and affection claims.
Beau takes it all in, shocked and confused, glancing at Dairon.
Her mentor smiles, sadly, and the League Center’s attendants finally burst through the doors.
“Everyone, out.” the leader of the group commands.
Beau’s friends protest and pout -in Jester’s case- but eventually leave the room.
Dairon, the last one to depart, throws a glance over their shoulders.
“Remember, Beauregard.” they say. “You have many enemies in here, but not in the shape of those some would expect.”
The attendants husher them out, and Beau is left staring at the closed door, her mentor’s words swirling a mile a minute in her head.
The League Center returns her Pokemon to her that same night, healed and rested, and then assigns a personal assistant to her as a guide.
Her PA takes her to her reserved new room, where Beau is supposed to be staying until the match of the following week.
As soon as she steps foot into the room, half of her anxiety floats away.
The place - a massive two floor area with enough space for a thunder of Gyarados to fit comfortably - has a full kitchen, a living room, a dining area, a bathroom and a balcony that hides the bedroom in the back.
Outside the floor to ceiling windows, Beau notices a deep Olympic size pool and a grassy area, a landing pod big enough for the biggest of Charizards and a set of black rocks perched on one side.
Beau immediately releases her team, wishing she had all her Pokeballs with her to let all of her other Pokemon enjoy the stay.
Machoke trudges towards the windows, opening them with a happy “Choooo!” before inviting his companions outside.
Gyarados slithers out, dipping immediately into the pool; Lucario, Hitmonchan and Timburr push one another out into the balcony, playing and sparring gently with one another.
Espeon jumps on the kitchen counter, sniffing the whole place with curious excitement, and Beau can’t take her eyes off of her for a long, worried moment.
Espeon seems to sense her concern because she turns her head and goes “Speeeee!”, while wagging her tail in happiness.
Beau smiles at her, finally deciding to follow her Pokemon outside.
She sits near the pool, taking off her shoes and socks and dipping her feet in the water.
Gyarados surfaces, placing his big head on her lap, and Beau finally takes the time to breathe, soaking the whole thing in.
Beau rolls over on the mattress, huffing in frustration as the soft blanket envelops her body the smell of freshly laundered fabric.
She rolls over for another twenty minutes before finally kicking the blanket aside and finding herself in a seated position.
“Speee?” Espeon whimpers, opening one eye. She is curled up at the bottom of the bed, and Beau leans over to scratch her behind her ear.
Machoke turns to look at them both from his position on the sofa.
He is wide awake.
“Can’t sleep?” Beau murmurs, and Machoke shakes his head.
Together, they wrangle a bunch of the blankets and cushions and head back downstairs. Beau throws the window open and clambers outside, where the rest of her Pokemon are already settled for sleep, all curled up against one another.
Beau crawls in between her Pokemon, and Espeon follows suit, curling up against Beau’s chest.
Machoke yawns and lays down as well.
“Night, guys.” Beau murmurs. This time, she falls asleep.
The first rays of the sun wake her, and Beau rolls over with a groan.
Hitmonchan protests next to her, trying to cover his face and continue sleeping.
Beau yawns, feeling the gentle touch of her Machoke as he lifts her up into his strong arms. She doesn’t think much of it, too busy trying to find the best position to continue her peaceful sleep.
Until, all of a sudden, the hold from Machoke disappears, and Beau experiences that horrible feeling of falling, and falling…
Then her body hits the water, and she is suddenly awake.
It takes a full half hour for her to stop chasing Machoke around the pool, as the rest of her Pokemon laugh their asses off at the sight, but when Machoke finally puts her in a headlock as he chuckles, Beau calms down.
“You are washing the dishes, today.” Beau growls, pointing a finger at her Pokemon.
He shrugs, clearly satisfied with the success of his prank.
Beau lines all of her Pokemon up, and after a quick breakfast, she works with them on a training regimen.
Her team loves to joke and mess around, but they are as determined to win next week’s match as much as she is, so they listen with rapt and trustful attention.
They sit around for the first hour, splitting into teams to start working together on their manuvers, and Beau walks around the outdoor area talking to them and stopping to rework this or that technique.
Before they know it, lunch time comes around, and Beau trudges into the massive kitchen with Lucario to try and put together something edible for everyone.
They all eat around the pool, keeping Gyarados company, and Beau finds herself enjoying the peace and quiet of the early afternoon.
She remembers how different it was, when she’d first started training with Dairon, and how many of this kind of days she had, where all the noise was created by her Pokemon fighting and the only words were the ones in her thoughts.
Going around with her friends, although incredibly rewarding in its own way, had left for very little room to think or sit in silence.
Espeon’s ears twitch and roll back against her head.
Beau scratches the back of her neck, but Espeon sits up, her eyes scanning the area around the swimming pool and finally settling on the far right side of the balcony.
“Everything okay?” Beau asks her, following her gaze.
Espeon releases a confused sound as she finally stands, carefully making her way towards the massive rocks that obscure whatever is on the other side of Beau’s balcony.
Beau puts down her half finished lunch and starts to follow her, before she notices a pair of big, silvery-blue eyes staring back at her.
Yasha’s Umbreon tilts her head, retreating ever so slightly behind the rock.
“Hey…” Beau murmurs, lifting her hands. “That’s alright, Umbreon. We’re not going to hurt you. Espeon, tell her we’re not going to hurt her.”
Espeon purrs in Umbreon’s direction, gracefully moving towards her.
The two Pokemon sniff each other with curiosity, and once Umbreon relaxes, Beau feels more comfortable stepping forward.
Umbreon is very small, much smaller than Espeon, and Beau assumes she must’ve evolved very recently.
Just like she did the day before, Beau wonders why Yasha might have decided to bring such a young Pokemon to their match.
“You are very beautiful.” Beau murmurs, reaching out with her hand and finding that the Umbreon seems to trust her enough to let her pet her. “And very powerful, too. You fought very well, yesterday.”
Umbreon purrs and coos, and Espeon happily boops her nose against the other Pokemon’s.
“Where is your Trainer?” Beau asks, suddenly realizing that this Pokemon should not, in any way, be where she is right now.
Umbreon whines, looking up at the rocks.
Beau frowns, following her gaze.
“Mhm.” she hums to herself. She then begins to climb.
The rocks are far from brittle, and Beau assumes the whole patio must’ve been built to sustain more than one Pokemon attack. It’s an enclosure made for Pokemon, and it’s masterfully done as well.
She finds holes and holds to put her hands and feet in, and she carefully but expertly climbs the whole height of the rocky wall.
It’s a good ten or so feet from the ground, and looking back makes her feel slightly dizzy.
Finally making it to the very top, Beau notices two things.
From that height, she can look outward to her left, where the city expands outside of the Pokemon League Center.
She must be staying on one of the highest floors, because she can barely make out the silhouettes of the people walking in the city, and all the houses and buildings look like little bugs.
The second thing she notices, once she faces forward again, is that the balcony doesn’t exactly end beyond the rock wall.
Instead, another balcony, shaped and arranged similarly but symmetrically to hers, begins.
There are more rocks on this side, and when Beau peaks back down on her part of the balcony, she finds Umbreon staring up at her.
Beau makes her way down, kneeling in front of the Umbreon.
“Is that where you came from? The balcony on the other side?”
Umbreon nods and whines, looking up towards the edge of the wall.
“Very well, then.” Beau tells her, picking her up and encouraging her to climb on her shoulder.
Umbreon dutifully obeys, her claws digging through Beau’s vest and shirt, and Beau begins to climb for the second time.
She makes it to the top in no time, and Timburr, Lucario and Espeon follow her close behind.
Looking over the edge, she turns to her team.
“Don’t follow.” she tells them. “I don’t want anyone to think we’re trespassing, or something.”
Lucario scoffs, and Beau glares at him. He sounds and looks so much like Dairon’s Lucario that Beau has no doubt what he’s thinking.
“Shush.” she mutters.
Her Pokemon are clearly not happy to be left behind, but they do as they’re told.
Beau swings one leg to the other side, then carefully makes the climb downward to the neighbouring balcony.
As soon as her feet touch the ground, the silence is broken by the metallic sound of a sword being unsheathed, and a cold blade comes to rest on the back of her neck.
Beau slowly raises her hands next to her head while her Pokemon begin to scream and growl from the top of the rock wall.
“No!” Beau screams. “Don’t come down! I’ve got this.”
Lucario, already with one paw on the other side, bares his teeth in frustration.
Beau can feel the weight of the Umbreon as it leaves her, and the Pokemon jumps down on the ground.
Umbreon starts making unintelligible sounds towards whoever is behind Beau, but the blade doesn’t move away from Beau’s neck.
“Doublade, that’s enough.” a low, calm voice commands, and the weapon is finally removed.
Beau slowly turns around, and Yasha raises a curious eyebrow at her. Behind her, her Doublade hovers menacingly with his swords at the ready.
“Uhm, hi.” Beau grins, tilting one of her hands still up in the air in a salute.
“What are you doing here?” Yasha asks, without bothering to respond to the greeting.
“Oh, uhm. Your Umbreon came to visit us, but I think she got stuck on the other side.”
Beau jams one of her thumbs in the direction of the rock wall.
“I figured you’d want her back.”
Yasha studies her with curiosity. There is no malice, no ill intent in the way she looks at her, and Beau relaxes just slightly.
Yasha is wearing a pair of shorts that have definitely seen better days, and a tank top that leaves her incredibly muscular arms completely uncovered.
Beau knows Yasha is still technically her enemy, but the woman in front of her is one hundred percent Beau’s type, and she can’t help but stare.
“Why didn’t you use the door?” Yasha asks again, tilting her head.
Beau presses her lips together, feeling a wave of warmth irradiating her cheeks and the tip of her hears.
“Cause, uh… Cause I didn’t think about it?” she chuckles, while simultaneously cursing herself at her own idiocy.
Yasha lowers her eyes to the ground, trying to conceal an amused smile, and by doing so her hair falls in front of her face.
Beau follows the movement, watching the beautiful, soft-looking locks of Yasha’s white hair, and she feels the sudden urge to touch it. Just to make sure that it’s real.
“You have really beautiful hair.” she finds herself saying, and Yasha fully blushes, this time.
Well, hello .
“Uhm. Thanks. You, too.” Yasha stutters. “I mean. You have beautiful… everything. But. Uhm. Eyes mainly. They’re… very blue.”
Beau gapes at this tall, powerful looking woman who looks like she could snap her spine in half with two fingers, as she blushes profoundly and crosses and uncrosses her arms.
“You, uh… You can put your hands down.” Yasha finally says, and Beau blinks a couple times before realizing that she’s still standing with her arms up like a fucking idiot.
She immediately lowers her hands, shoving them in her pockets.
“Uhm… Yeah, uh… Listen, sorry for intruding. I wasn’t… I didn’t mean to disturb, or anything. Or to scare you.” Beau adds, directing the apology to the Doublade still hovering next to Yasha. “I really just wanted to make sure your Umbreon made it home safely. She looks very small.”
Yasha tucks a strand of hair behind her ears, kneeling then to pick up her Umbreon.
“She is.” Yasha says, and Umbreon looks so tiny in her arms. The Pokemon snuggles closer, purring loudly against Yasha’s chest. “She evolved last week, and hatched only three months ago.”
Beau can’t help the surprised sound that comes out of her.
“She is so young…” she murmurs, trying her best not to sound too judgemental. Evolution never really happens to Pokemon that are still in their puppy phase, so the only way for an Eevee to evolve that quickly is with a stone.
It’s not healthy, and therefore not recommended, for a Trainer to use a stone on such a young Pokemon.
Yasha’s whole body tenses, clearly sensing the unsaid words in Beau’s statement.
“You don’t understand.” Yasha says, and Beau can see the walls that Yasha begins to construct between them.
For a number of reasons Beau doesn’t even want to explore at the moment, she doesn’t want for that to happen.
“I’m sorry.” she immediately says. “I didn’t mean to… I wasn’t trying to say anything. You must have had your reasons, and she looks like a really healthy, really happy Pokemon.”
Yasha stares back at her with no emotion clearly written on her face, and Beau struggles to figure out whether or not she’s just burned her chance at friendship.
“She is.” Yasha says again, and her shoulders relax just slightly.
“All your Pokemon are.” Beau adds. “They are beautiful, and incredibly powerful. But I can tell you care a lot about them.”
Yasha relaxes even more, and a ghost of a smile comes to greet her features.
“Thank you. So do yours.”
Beau ducks her head in thanks, but before she can say anything more Umbreon’s ears twitch, and Doublade whirls around to face the interior of Yasha’s apartment.
Yasha freezes at her Pokemon’s reactions, then her eyes turn on Beau.
“You have to go.” she tells her, hurriedly.
For the first time since she’s met her, Yasha looks scared.
No, not even scared.
She looks downright terrified.
“Wha-”
There is a knock at Yasha’s front door, and Beau doesn’t know who is on the other side, but she doesn’t like the hold of fear that they have on Yasha.
“GO!” Yasha shouts-whispers, as her two Pokemon rush inside. “Please, Beau. Go.”
Beau doesn’t know if it’s the clear panic in Yasha’s voice, or the way she calls out for her name, but she obeys.
She turns around and begins climbing the rock wall as fast as she can. At the very top, Lucario and Timburr grab her by the arm and hoist her on the other side, just as the voice of a man salutes Yasha from the opposite side of the wall.
Beau presses a finger on her mouth, and Lucario, Timburr and Espeon keep their heads low. Lucario presses his arm against Beau’s body, keeping her solidly still against the rock.
“Took you long enough, my love.” the voice says.
Beau recognizes him nearly immediately, and her stomach turns at the thought of Obann talking to Yasha with such a tone.
Joined with Yasha’s clear horror and terror at the idea of him seeing Beau, she knows that whatever he wants from her must not be good.
“I am sorry, Obann.” Yasha’s voice is low and contrite, and Beau hates how small and defeated she sounds.
“You fought well, yesterday.”
“Thank you, Obann.”
“But not well enough.”
There is a long, stretched out moment of silence, broken only by Beau and her Pokemon’s heavy breathing.
“I am sorry, Obann.” Yasha repeats, a strangled voice that makes Beau’s whole body jerk in disgust.
Despite common sense, she maneuvers her body in order to grab the edge of the rock. Lucario shoots her a warning glare, but Beau ignores him.
She peeks on the other side, and watches in horror as Obann’s fingers squeeze around Yasha’s throat.
Beau can see all of Yasha’s Pokemon around her, angered by Obann’s behaviour but clearly held back by whichever history there is between all of them.
Arcanine and Vulpix, their white fur shining in the sunlight, are on the front line, their teeth bare and their eyes wide.
Doublade hovers around Yasha’s head, clearly distressed but unable to help.
Umbreon, shaking and whining softly, is tucked beneath Houndoom’s massive paws, and Beau can see all her young age in the way the Pokemon cowers in fear. The hound himself looks still like a statue, but Beau is ready to bet there is a fire dancing in his eyes.
The last one of Yasha’s Pokemon, the gargantuan Aerodactyl that Beau is so intrigued by, is perched on the railing of the landing pod, and there is pure hatred written all over his face.
“You better be sorry.” Obann says, every trace of faux kindness being wiped away by his scowl. “That disgrace nearly won the title of Champion. You don’t want that to happen, now, do you?”
Yasha bites her lip, and Beau wants nothing more than to vault over that rock wall and sock Obann in the face.
“No, Obann.” Yasha whispers, defeated.
Obann studies her for a long, stretched out minute, before he lets her go.
He nods to himself and takes a long, disgusted look at Yasha’s Pokemon, then turns on his heels and leaves the apartment.
Beau slowly lowers herself back onto the ground, where her Pokemon apprehensively surround her, checking her over for injuries.
Although her body is more than okay, Beau feels like she’s been repeatedly punched in the stomach.
Beau goes through the day with her mind running a mile a minute, but nothing of what she can come up with manages to make sense of what she had to experience that afternoon.
She helps Hitmonchan with dinner, and it’s only after she’s done helping Machoke dry the dishes that she hears a small, ruffling sound coming from the main door.
A moment later, Espeon comes trotting in, a piece of folded paper in her mouth.
Beau takes it from her and opens it.
Tomorrow, mid-day, main fountain.
Beau reads it over and over again, turning the piece of paper to figure out whether or not there is a second part to that message, but nothing else comes to the surface.
The calligraphy is shaky, and messy, not at all resembling her friends’ penmanship.
Beau doubts this is from any of them, anyway, and she wonders if it’s Yasha who wrote it.
She goes to sleep next to her Pokemon in the cool air of the night, and she thinks about the girl living on the other side of the rock wall.
The morning after, Beau wakes up with the sun, but she makes sure to be up and running before Machoke.
He inevitably gets dumped in the pool in the span of thirty seconds.
Beau and her Pokemon follow the training regime they have planned, and they all focus on finding strength and weaknesses they can utilize in the upcoming battle.
Beau is distracted for the whole morning, and once lunch time comes around she only takes a few bites before brushing her teeth and heading out the door.
Machoke and Lucario put up a hell of a fight at the idea of Beau roaming the League Center on her own, and Beau finally caves in and allows for Espeon to follow her around.
Together with her Pokemon, they reach the elevators and make their way to the main floor, asking a few attendants for directions.
No one seems to be alarmed by the fact that she’s exploring, and Beau is reassured by the idea that she can walk around without being chastised or punished for it.
She’s not exactly sure how the rules work in regard to the final match.
Espeon finds the fountain before she does, running ahead to jump over the stone construction depicting the famous battle between Kyogre and Groundon. Beau notices a replica of Rayquaza in the middle, overseeing its siblings and their rivalry.
Beau paces around the beautiful statue, relaxing at the sound of running water.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Yasha’s voice asks.
Beau turns around, and her jaw nearly falls on the ground with a splat.
Yasha, expertly and calmly sitting on top of her massive Arcanine, stares down at her with a relaxed smile.
Arcanine turns his head to stare at Beauregard with a diffident look, then he looks down at Espeon, who begins rubbing herself against his front paw.
Arcanine snorts a puff of smoke against Espeon, but she simply ignores him, purring loudly.
“Uhhhh…” it’s all Beau can say, taken aback by the sudden appearance.
Yasha looks around the plaza, following with her gaze as the only attendant disappears behind a closed door.
“Let’s get out of here.” she says, turning again to look at Beau and holding a hand out to her.
Beau stares at the outstretched hand, then at Arcanine, and then at Yasha again.
She doesn’t question it any longer.
She grabs Yasha’s hand, places a foot on the edge of the fountain and hoists herself up, swinging a leg on the other side of Arcanine’s back.
“Espeon?” she calls out, quickly, and Espeon much more gracefully pokes out from underneath Arcanine, jumps on the fountain and then on Arcanine’s back, finally climbing on top of Beau’s shoulder.
Yasha looks back at them with a contemplative gaze, then nods to herself.
“Hold on.” she murmurs, and Beau barely has the time to wrangle her arms around Yasha’s waist before Arcanine pounces forward.
In a handful of quick, clearly practiced moves, Arcanine jumps on the very top of the fountain and then outward towards the closest parapet.
From there, he flies upward, reaching the next floor with ease, climbing the inner balconies like they’re some sort of a ladder.
Beau tries her best not to look down, squeezing Yasha’s waist and trusting her trust in her Pokemon.
Finally, Arcanine slows to a stop, his paws balancing on the tiles of the roof.
“Good job, Arcanine.” Yasha murmurs, scratching the top of the Pokemon’s head. Arcanine shakes his white mane, clearly satisfied and proud of himself.
Yasha swings her leg down and slides down onto the roof, turning to offer her hands towards Beau.
“Are you sure?” Beau asks, doubtfully looking at where they came from, and at the now minuscule looking fountain twenty or so floors below them.
Yasha nods.
“I do this a lot.” she admits.
Beau slides down, and when her feet inevitably fail her Yasha is there to catch her, carefully lowering her to the ground.
Their bodies press together, and Beau can feel Yasha’s warm breath against her face.
Yasha clears her throat and steps back, turning away from Beau as she and Arcanine walk away from the inner sides of the roof and towards the outside.
Espeon jumps down from her shoulder and joins the other two, sitting next to Arcanine and pressing her head against his paw. Arcanine huffs, lowering himself in a crouched position. As soon as he does, Espeon crawls in between his paws and curls up in there.
Beau shakes her head at her Pokemon’s antics, then finally decides to follow Yasha. She has to climb the first level to see exactly what’s on the other side, but when she does she forgets entirely about all and every one of her worries.
“Woha.” she exhales.
Nicodranas extends outwards right in front of her, with the buildings, the houses, the schools, the towers looking like ants for how small they are.
And past them, past the civilization, there is the ocean.
“The Lucidian Ocean.”
Yasha hums, taking a seat on the roof and swinging her legs on the empty space below.
For the first hour, Beau can’t sit.
She takes a lap around the entirety of the League Center’s roof, studying the magnificent views her spot offers.
She looks at the Ocean to the West and South, and the Ashkeeper Peaks and Cyrios Mountains to North and East.
She maps the world in her mind, and tucks those sights close to her heart.
Once she finally sits next to Yasha, holding onto her shoulder as she does, Yasha smiles at her with a relaxed expression.
“I love it here.” Beau tells her, feeling as out of breath as she sounds.
Yasha nods.
“Me, too.”
Beau inhales the familiar smell of ocean air, and points at the chains of rocks at their backs.
“You prefer the water to the mountains?” she asks her.
Yasha’s smile falters for a moment, then she nods.
“I do.” and before Beau can ask why, Yasha adds: “The Ocean looks like freedom. The mountains look like another cage.”
Beau frowns at the sad finality of those words, and she hates the way Yasha says ‘another’.
“Yasha, why is Obann-”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Yasha’s interruption is brusque and so completely out of character that Beau doesn’t say anything else, too taken aback to respond.
She instead turns to face the Lucidian Ocean once more, but her pinkie finger extends outwards until it touches the back of Yasha’s hands.
Beau doesn’t know what it is about Yasha, whether it’s because of her own connection to one of the Elite Four, or because she saw the way she’d matched her in combat, or the way she saw her caring for her Pokemon.
She doesn’t know, but she feels close to her in a way that has been foreign to her for a very long time.
She remembers feeling similarly for Jester, at some point, but even then it didn’t leave her with her stomach wrapped up in knots like seeing Yasha does.
Yasha doesn’t turn, but her fingers wiggle, and finally her own pinkie laces with Beau’s.
In silence, they watch the sun disappear below the line of the Lucidian Ocean, and Beau doesn’t ask anything anymore.
Her third day in forced reclusion brings more training in the morning and a voluntary swim in the pool with Gyarados.
Her Pokemon looks ecstatic at her visit, and she smiles in the water as she tries to hold her breath longer and longer each time.
Lunch comes and goes, and Beau is half-considering going to knock at Yasha’s door to check in with her about yesterday when she hears a commotion coming from the outdoor area.
She hurries outside, finding her Pokemon on high alert, Lucario and Timburr ready to start a fight, Gyarados growling from the back of his throat and half of his body already out of the water, and Hitmonchan being held back by Machoke.
Espeon, her fur all spiked up in nervous energy, is facing her own team, her tail swinging low and slow in warning.
Behind her, just as nervous and just as ready to fight, Yasha’s Pokemon stand in formation behind Yasha herself, who looks like she might be regretting half of her life choices.
“Woha!” Beau exclaims, running outside to grab Hitmonchan’s arm and push him back.
“Hitmonchan! That’s enough, buddy.” she tells him, trying to soothe his fear. “They’re alright. They’re fine, we are all fine.”
Beau turns to look quizzically at Yasha, who shrugs with a guilty smile.
“Sorry.” she says. “I should have used the door, too.”
Beau wants to laugh and she wants to hug her, but she doesn’t think they’re there, yet.
They were holding hands just yesterday, but for some reason hugging her now seems just too much.
So she clears her voice and gestures to her own kitchen.
“Would you like some tea?”
As she and Yasha settle on the couch, they both observe their Pokemon as they circle cautiously around one another.
Machoke and Doublade settle next to Beau and Yasha respectively, and if Beau had any doubt about who Yasha’s starter is, she is certain now.
Lucario and Timburr, the only ones of Beau’s Pokemon to have seen and heard the confrontation with Obann, seem to be relatively suspicious but willing to settle the axe of war. Or the log, in Timburr’s case.
Vulpix, Houndoom and Aerodactyl sit outside after Yasha asks them, and Beau knows it’s more to ease Beau’s Pokemon’s nervousness than anything else. It’s not necessary, as Beau knows her team won’t attack unless she asks them to or unless she is in danger, but she appreciates it.
Arcanine settles with half of his body outside, and Espeon and Umbreon immediately run to curl up between his paws. Arcanine mutters to himself in faux annoyance, and Espeon boops his paw with her nose until he stops complaining.
After that, the rest of their Pokemon relaxes, although Machoke and Doublade don’t move from their respective positions on the couch.
Beau pours the tea for both of them, holding one cup out for Yasha to take.
“It’s really good tea.” Yasha says, speaking for the first time since that first apology.
Beau shrugs.
“My friend, Caduceus, he… He is really a master in tea-making. He taught me a couple things, and he always makes sure we have good leaves.”
Yasha nods, although it’s clear she doesn’t really know what Beau is talking about.
“Thanks for… Uh… Thanks for coming to visit.” Beau says, grimacing immediately after. She has never been that good at making conversation, but this is terrible even for her standards.
Yasha doesn’t seem to mind. If anything, it gives her whatever prompting she needs to start talking.
“Yeah, I… I really wanted to apologize about yesterday.” she murmurs, twirling her cup in her hands, pressing her palms against the warm ceramic. “I am not used to having someone to talk to and I… I kind of snapped.”
Beau shrugs. She is glad Yasha is here now, and all she really cares about is her wellbeing.
“That’s alright, man. You have your things, and it’s not my place to question them.”
Yasha shakes her head.
“No, I- I mean, you’re right, but… I wanted to explain.” she says with a sad smile. “I like you, and after this fight we might not see each other ever again, so… I guess I wanted someone to know, you know?”
Beau doesn’t exactly know, since she has no idea what Yasha is talking about, but she can’t help but smile at the fact that Yasha seems to like her.
She nods.
“I know you heard about Obann the other day.”
Beau’s smile falls.
“I’m sorry, Yasha. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, I just… I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Yasha leans forward to place a hand on Beau’s knee.
“I know. It’s quite alright.” she tells her. “But I also mentioned how the mountains make me feel like I’m in another cage, and… Well. It’s for a reason.”
Beau leans back against the couch, feeling -more than knowing- that there is about to be a story.
Their Pokemon turn their heads as well, intently listening. Yasha’s Pokemon most likely know the story, but their eyes focus on their Trainer nonetheless.
“Obann found me in Xhorhas a few years ago. I had just lost my wife and the great majority of my Pokemon, and I was hurt - in more ways than one.”
Beau nearly stops her right there and then, at the beginning of the story, because Yasha is talking about death and losing not just her partner but her Pokemon as well ?!
She doesn’t say anything, however, but Yasha seems to notice her shock regardless.
She smiles, sadly.
“That is another long story, for another time.” she murmurs. “But when Obann found me I was… A ghost of myself. He took me in, healed me and my only Pokemon, Honedge, and gave us food, clothes, and a home.”
Yasha shrugs, taking a sip of her tea.
“I thought he was a Godsend, at first.” she chuckles to herself. “I mean, who wouldn’t? He wasn’t. He simply wanted me to be another one of his minions.”
Beau shivers at the thought of that awful man commanding a group of more awful people.
“So he gave me a few eggs. He thought he was doing me a favor, by giving me all the leftover eggs that never hatched for him nor his men, eggs that had been experimented upon, eggs that were smaller than the others.”
Yasha tilts her chin towards Arcanine.
“He was the first one to hatch. Because of experiments, Growlithe was white as snow, while still maintaining his powers. He was a beautiful puppy, and Obann hated him.”
Yasha’s upper lip lifts at whichever memory she is reconjuring in her mind, a snarl at whatever Obann had said or done in her past.
Beau listens, enraptured by this horrific story that was only just beginning.
“With time, more eggs hatched. Aerodactyl came after, then Houndour, and so on. The more special Pokemon came to me, the more hateful and furious Obann became. He couldn’t understand why all these beautiful creatures would not hatch for him but hatched for me. He was jealous, but he owned me, at that point.”
Yasha flinches, turning to look at Beau like she is just remembering she is there.
“He still does, really.” Yasha murmurs, before shaking her head and continuing on. “He started training us. And by training I mean… Well, I’ll let you imagine what he did.
He forced an Evolution upon Arcanine before time, and that weakened him massively. He runs out of breath faster than normal, and he can’t learn attacks that would be considered easy for any of his kind.”
Beau turns to look at Arcanine, who is already staring back at her with his head held high.
He glares, almost daring her to pity him, and Beau doesn’t. She respects him, if anything. She respects all of them for their spirit and their courage.
Most of all, she respects them for the clear love and loyalty they all bring to Yasha.
“He did the same to Houndoom, and luckily no ill effect came to him. Honedge evolved into Doublade before Obann could do anything to him. Just a week before this year’s Champions League, he forced an evolution onto my Charmeleon and Eevee, the last egg that hatched. I begged him not to, but…”
Yasha finds her Umbreon, who is happily napping between Arcanine’s paws, Espeon’s tail curled protectively around her small frame.
“This is horrible.” Beau whispers, speaking for the first time since the beginning of the tale. “Yasha, this is…”
“Inhumane? Abusive? Borderline psychotic?” Yasha scoffs, not to Beau, it seems. To herself. “I know. Believe me.”
Beau licks her lips. She knows she must be careful, treading lightly over this newfound friendship, and the last thing she wants is to offend Yasha, but…
“Then, why…?” she stops, not really knowing how to finish her question, not knowing what to say so that she doesn’t sound judgmental.
Yasha stares at the cup of tea between her hands, and her expression doesn’t change.
“Why do I stay?” she asks, her voice as flat as the calmest waters.
Beau nods, taking a sip of her own tea.
“Because I have nowhere else to go.” Yasha whispers, and Doublade bumps gently against her shoulder, prompting a small smile from his Trainer.
Machoke shuffles on the couch next to Beau, clearly uncomfortable.
“Obann made sure of that.” Yasha murmurs, absentmindedly petting Doublade. “I have no money. No home. No food. I live inside the League Center, Beau. He made me Champion, and he made sure that I am nothing without him.”
Beau thinks back of the stories she has heard, of how everyone seemed to know nothing about the Champion, of how mysterious her life was.
“The League doesn’t care, does it?” she asks, more to herself than to Yasha. “All they want is money, and a good show.”
Yasha nods, distraught.
“I think about intentionally losing each year. And each year he reminds me, one way or the other, that I can’t leave. That I have nothing.”
Beau doesn’t know what prompts her to say it. She thinks maybe because she knows a thing or two about having no family, or having a jailer who wants nothing more than to control her.
Or maybe because she knows what it means to have someone believing in her like Dairon did, and like her friends did afterwards.
“You have me.” she says, and Machoke coughs lightly next to her.
She knows she’s surprised him. She’s surprised herself, too.
Yasha’s gaze softens, and the soft blush that Beau has now grown so accustomed to makes an apparition.
“Thank you, Beau.” she murmurs with a soft, sad smile.
Beau frowns. She didn’t say it because it was the right thing to say. She said it because it is true.
“Yasha, I’m serious.” Beau says, placing her tea cup on the coffee table in front of her. “I have friends. Amazing friends. They would take you in without asking any questions. And my… My… My Dairon would also take you in. She took me in when I was just a kid, and taught me everything I needed to know to survive. I’m sure they’d find a way to help you, too.”
Yasha stares at her, and there are clear tears in her eyes, but none of them falls.
“You talked about the goodness of your friends, but you said I have you.” Yasha finally says, in half a whisper. “What do you offer?”
Beau believes there is half a joke, somewhere in there. Only half.
The other half, Beau sees a strange kind of wonder, like a kid with their first Pokemon egg, wondering which journey they’re about to begin.
“Loyalty.” Beau says, then, honestly. “Stubbornness. A lot of that’s what she said jokes.” Yasha laughs at that, and Beau grins. “But mainly brutal honesty, and unwavering support.”
Machoke chuckles next to her, nodding in approval.
Yasha laughs as well, and it’s a bit watery but, once again, no tears.
Beau admires her strength of spirit.
“Yasha, I mean it.” Beau finds herself whispering, nearly begging her. “You don’t have to stay here, whether you win or lose.”
Yasha stares at her for a long, stretched out moment of silence.
Then…
“I will think about it.”
Beau nods, struck by her honesty and the curiosity behind Yasha’s tone.
Arcanine yawns loudly, making such a big show of it that everyone’s attention is captured by him.
“I think it’s time to go.” Yasha muses, raising to her feet. “Thanks, uhm… Thanks for the tea, Beau.”
Beau nods, watching as Yasha and her Pokemon stretch out and head for the window.
Beau briefly wonders whether Obann is watching their doors or not. Better not risk it.
Yasha turns, awkwardly shuffling her weight from one foot to the other.
“Do you want to come over for dinner tomorrow night?” she finally asks, spitting the question out as quickly as she possibly can.
Beau blinks at her, gaping.
Is this… Is Yasha…
Machoke elbows her in the ribs, which would be an already dick move if he wasn’t also made entirely of rock .
Out of breath and massaging her side, Beau shoots a glare at her Pokemon then turns to look at Yasha.
“That… That would be great, man. Yeah. Sure!”
Machoke shakes his head, and Beau kicks his shin from behind the coffee table, cursing to herself when her big toe stubs against his hard composition.
Yasha doesn’t seem to notice, nor does she seem to mind her awkward response.
She smiles, waves, and heads outside. In the span of half a minute, both her and her Pokemon have all left.
When Beau looks up from massaging her foot, she finds her entire squad staring blankly at her.
She flips all of them off, collecting the two tea cups and grumpily stomping away into the kitchen.
The following day finds Beau buzzing with an electric kind of energy.
Training in the morning goes as scheduled, and her Pokemon run through the drills without breaking a sweat.
Beau begins to think how amazing it would be if they actually won, and what it would really mean for her and for Yasha.
It’s clear that there is something going on, at least on her own side.
She is not dumb, and she might have not had many lasting relationships, but she can recognize attraction and affection.
Yasha is stupidly hot, and Beau has never not noticed that. But she is also incredibly thoughtful, gentle and honest. They are traits that make Beau’s heart go soft and her stomach go up in knots, and she knows she wants Yasha.
Not just physically, but emotionally as well.
Beau watches her Pokemon as they fight against one another under the scorching sun, and she wonders what would happen if she was to lose.
Would she be able to see Yasha ever again?
“Why are you here?” Yasha asks her, between a mouthful of stew and the next.
Beau, who wants nothing more than to fill up a bath tub with this amazing dinner and take a swim in the deliciousness of the soup, looks up with her spoon still shoved in her mouth.
“Uh?”
Machoke sighs heavily next to her, looking up at the ceiling like it could be of any help.
Yasha covers her mouth, failing miserably in her attempt to conceive her laughter.
“Why are you here? At the League?” she finally asks again, once Beau has swallowed her food. “Why do you want to win?”
Beau sits back on her chair, dabbing at her chin with her napkin.
All their Pokemon are sitting around the table, either on chairs or next to them, plates full with their own bowls of stew.
“Well, who wouldn’t want to be Wildemount Champion?” Beau asks back, making Yasha’s eyes twinkle in amusement.
“So you’re doing it for the glory.” Yasha bites back, and Beau grins.
She shakes her head.
“I mean, yeah, a bit of that. But no.” she admits, cutting the bullshit. “I guess I always felt like I had something to prove.”
Thinking back on the amount of trust that Yasha had put in her just the day before, telling her about her story, Beau decides to open up as well.
“I imagine you know Thoreau Lionett pretty well.” Beau says, pointing her spoon at Yasha.
Yasha shrugs.
“I see him once a year, for the Championship. He never really comes to see me, mainly Obann. He’s been an Elite for decades, as far as I know. When I heard his daughter was going to challenge him, it surprised me. I did not know he had a daughter.”
Beau hums in agreement.
“He doesn’t talk about me all that much.” she explains. “I am pretty sure he would erase my existence from the face of this earth, if he could. No, he likes my little brother much more than he likes me.”
Who wouldn’t? Beau thinks. TJ is the fucking cutest.
“Since I was a kid, my father thought nothing of me. He didn’t think I could do anything of importance, and he always treated me like shit. He refused a Pokemon when I asked for one, and he told me I was going to be a nobody for the rest of my life. At the first chance, I ran away. I met Dairon in Rexxentrum and started from there.”
Beau shrugs.
“I guess I want to prove him wrong. Prove him that he’s always been wrong.” she chuckles. “Mainly… Mainly I want to prove that to myself, yenno?”
Yasha nods, her chin on her palm as she looks at Beau from across the table.
“I do.” Yasha says, and Beau’s heart jumps up and down.
She invites her over for dinner for the following night as she is climbing the rock wall, one leg already on the other side.
Yasha hesitates for just a moment.
“It’s our last night before the match.” she says. “Are you sure you want to spend it with me?”
Beau, watching as her Pokemon land safely back on the ground and as Yasha’s Pokemon retreat back into the apartment, finds a boldness and a bravery she didn’t know she had.
“There would be no one else I’d rather spend it with.”
Yasha visibly holds her breath, then her head ducks and her long white hair covers her face, but Beau is ready to bet there is a blush on that perfectly pale skin.
“I would love that. Yeah.” Yasha responds, so quietly that Beau nearly misses it. “Goodnight, Beau.”
“Night, Yasha.”
The following day starts with a drizzle and continues with a heavy rain.
It doesn’t let up for the whole day, and Beau stares at the sky from her warm, dry spot in the living room like it has personally offended her.
Lucario, Timburr and Espeon play in the rain for the great majority of the morning, and Gyarados leaves the pool to lie flat on the landing pod and soak in the water.
Machoke pats Beau gently on the shoulder before returning to the kitchen.
Beau sticks her tongue out at the rain and follows her Pokemon to begin preparing food for the evening.
Hitmonchan throws a popcorn at her from the couch.
Afternoon goes by, and when dinner time comes around, Beau changes into a pair of clean pants and her favorite blue tank top with all the different types of Pokeball on the front.
Yasha shows up with her Pokemon only half drenched, and Beau imagines it’s much easier for her to overcome a rock wall when she can either mount her massive Arcanine or ride her flying Aerodactyl.
She waves at her from the window, awkwardly standing on the ledge as half of her Pokemon join Beau’s in the pool.
“Hey.” Beau smiles, scratching the back of her head. “Uh, welcome. Take a seat.”
The dinner is not nearly as delicious as Yasha’s, but Beau is pretty proud of the job done.
Yasha seems to be enjoying it anyway, and their Pokemon devour everything Beau and Machoke have cooked and clean up the leftovers, so Beau can’t really complain.
The conversation is easy, and everything flows nicely.
The rain keeps pouring outside, ticking gently against the half opened window. There is a warm breeze coming in from it, the breath of summer storms blowing gently in the room.
They move the conversation to the couch, as their Pokemon start to relax and settle for the evening, exhausted by all their playing and all their training.
The lights are dimmed to their usual level, but without the moon the room feels darker, and the air thicker.
Beau feels a buzz in her veins that has nothing to do with the rain and all to do with Yasha.
“Isn’t it crazy?” Yasha asks, looking out to the storm like it’s calling to her.
They are sitting next to one another on the couch, and at some point during the night they have drifted closer and closer to each other, their bodies tilted so that they are facing.
“Mhm?”
“We are going to be fighting tomorrow.” Yasha responds. “You and me, against each other. And here we are.”
Beau can’t help but nod.
She knows the feeling.
Throughout the whole day, she’d been nervously pacing around the house. Not at the thought of the battle of a lifetime that was awaiting for her on the following day.
But about the evening that preceded it.
This evening. With Yasha.
A woman who is supposed to be her enemy, her opponent, her challenger.
The person holding the title, the glory, the means to Beau’s goal.
And Beau doesn’t think any less of her own dreams, she knows she still wants it just as much as she did when it all started, many years ago.
But if the fight with Yasha, tomorrow, is a certainty, tonight is still a mystery.
“It is quite crazy.” Beau murmurs, a thousand thoughts swirling around in her mind.
Yasha turns to look at her.
“I want to come with you.” she says, and Beau’s eyes widen.
“You- What ?!”
Yasha smiles the littlest of smiles, and looks down at her hands.
“Whatever happens tomorrow, I… I want to be free of Obann. And if your offer still stands-”
“It does. It stands.” Beau immediately says, incredule.
“Then I want to go. I want to see your friends and be…”
Beau waits, fully expecting for Yasha to say free .
Instead, what she hears is: “... with you.” and it throws her off so much that it doesn’t immediately register in her brain.
When it does, is as Yasha tilts her head and stares at her in near panic, clearly wondering that she’s said something wrong.
“Beau, I- That… I wasn’t exactly planning to say tha-”
“Yasha, can I kiss you?”
There is a moment of silence, of silence that is made of a lot of noises still, and the rain feels so loud in its gentleness, and their Pokemon’s breathing is so calming and peaceful, and none of them seem to be surprised by this development, which makes Beau think that this is right, that this is how it should happen, that this…
“I feared you would never ask.”
This is perfect.
Beau leans forward, grabbing Yasha’s face in her hands just as Yasha moves forward to hold her by the waist.
They come together naturally, and they kiss slowly and breathlessly.
It’s not fireworks or explosions or Arceus knows what else.
Beau’s heart is louder than the rain, but Yasha’s hands are warm on her skin and her lips are the softest lips Beau has ever kissed - which makes her feel bad, because her own lips are definitely chapped…
“Beau…” Yasha breaths, tilting her head to change the angle.
And Beau stares, her eyes still open as she takes it all in, as Yasha’s half closed eyes meet hers.
They both smile at once, kissing again in the silence of the apartment.
Even as Beau leads her upstairs, as clothes are shed and discarded on the stairs, Yasha never feels like a mistake, like something she should be rethinking.
Beau has always overthought everything, but this feels very natural.
As Yasha kisses her, pressing her body against hers, their warm skins coming in contact and their breaths mingling together, Beau knows this is supposed to be.
There is a certainty in it that she’s felt a few times in her life.
Meeting Dairon and trusting her.
Letting herself be guided by them, by their Pokemon, by their knowledge.
Holding Machop’s egg and knowing they were going to be together forever.
Deciding to begin her journey to the League.
All those situations had happened and had developed in front of her eyes and Beau had known she’d been right.
Now, holding Yasha as she whispers her name in this timeless night, Beau knows this is right.
It feels like the end of a journey, and the beginning of a new one.
Beau can only be excited for that.
Yasha kisses her gently and slips out of bed, dragging the sheet with her as she walks up to the railing that separates the bedroom from the rest of the house.
Beau drags herself up, leaning on one elbow.
Yasha’s bare back is a beautiful sight, and Beau bites her lip at the thought that, no matter what happens tomorrow, this won’t be the last time she sees it.
That she sees her .
“I hate having to wake them up.” Yasha murmurs, barely audible below the tapping of the rain.
Beau crawls to the edge of the bed, peaking at their Pokemon on the downstairs level.
Arcanine sleeps peacefully in the middle, with Espeon and Umbreon curled up between his paws as usual, and with Vulpix and Timburr leaning against his thigh.
Aerodactyl, perched outside with Gyarados, snores softly, unfazed by the rain.
Lucario and Houndoom, sprawled on the couches, make small unintelligible sounds as they dream.
Finally, sitting across from one another and completely asleep, Machoke and Doublade seem to have fallen prey to their slumber midway through a game of marbles.
“They look so peaceful.” Beau admits.
She tugs at the sheets, making Yasha turn with a barely concealed smile.
“You are so hot, man.” Beau whispers, and Yasha laughs at that.
Beau tugs again, and this time Yasha turns around, letting the sheet fall onto the floor as she leans down to kiss Beau on the lips.
Slowly and carefully, like she is afraid to break her.
Beau is so not used to that kind of treatment.
She wraps her arms around Yasha’s neck and drags her back down onto the bed.
Beau stares at the first rays of the sun as they fight their way through the clouds.
The storm is finally over, and there is wetness in the air, there is wetness on the ground, but it’s a brand new day.
“Morning is here.” Beau whispers, and Yasha nods from where she is sitting, fully dressed, with her hands in her lap, at the edge of the bed.
Beau presses a kiss on her shoulder.
“Go, Yash.” she tells her, and Yasha turns to look at her with a pained expression on her face.
“I’ll see you later, right?” Yasha asks, and Beau snorts.
“I’ll be the one on the other side of the battlefield. Can’t miss me.” she jokes, which manages to get a smile out of Yasha before the clouds come back to haunt her beautiful eyes.
“Promise me I’ll see you afterwards.” Yasha murmurs, and Beau can only hold her face in her hands and kiss her soundly.
“I promise, Yasha.” she tells her. “Win or lose, we are leaving this place together.”
Beau gives an affectionate scratch underneath Espeon’s chin as they sit at the edge of the pool.
Yasha and her Pokemon are gone, and Beau knows she is going to have to leave her apartment soon.
A few attendants have already stopped by to check that she was awake.
“You know what I’m about to say, right?” Beau asks her Pokemon, and Espeon whines in protest.
“You are no less amazing than all of your siblings, Espeon.” Beau tells her. “But I don’t want to drag you into this again. Not after you bonded with literally half of Yasha’s team.”
Espeon pouts, whirring with unhappy energy, but Beau knows she understands.
“I don’t want to do that to you. You have such a good heart. You’re the best of all of us.”
Espeon gets up, rubbing herself against Beau’s arm until she picks her up.
When the next attendant comes, Beau also delivers Espeon’s Pokeball to him, then heads out to head to the Stadium.
Back where she started, Beau walks into the changing room with peace in her heart and a strange sense of calm spreading through her bones.
She is content.
Whether she wins or she loses, she knows who she is, and how powerful she is.
Sure, she still wants to prove her father wrong, but she knows she’s proven a lot to herself in that last week only, let alone the years she spent training her Pokemon.
And she has her friends, she has Dairon, a family who loves her like she deserves to be loved.
And now, she has Yasha.
Whatever Yasha is and whatever she is going to be, Beau is confident she is going to be there, one way or the other.
So when she steps into the Arena, and the crowd begin screaming her name, Beau grins and waves, sure of herself.
When Yasha emerges from her own side of the ring, nodding at her from across the field, Beau feels her heart grow two sizes.
What a hell of a journey she’s been on. She knows she’s made her family proud, and her Pokemon prouder.
So when the announcer calls for the match to begin, and Beau and Yasha whirl their first Pokeball in the air, the crowd screams in surprise as Machoke and Vulpix take one good look at each other, and begin glowing.
Beau isn’t surprised. Yasha doesn’t either.
Beau is proud, of course, and she knows she is going to survive this battle and hug her new Machamp with all she has, but she is not surprised.
Yasha laughs, happily, as their Pokemon conclude their Evolution, and Beau wonders if they’d been holding back to make sure no one would think they’d cheated, but it doesn’t matter.
Machamp beats his chest with all four of his arms, and Ninetales swirls her tail around, shining in the light of the morning sun.
“Machamp!” Beau calls out, just as Yasha exclaims: “Ninetales!”
They smile at one another from across the Arena, and what a thrill it is to know that, no matter what happens, today is a day of victory.